As part of the presentation, Genetic Immunity announced the launch of a Phase III clinical trial for the company’s lead product candidate, a therapeutic HIV vaccine, to be conducted at the Moscow City Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS, with the planned enrollment of up to 200 patients. Upon successful completion, Genetic Immunity plans to apply for marketing approval in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region.

“It was an honor to have been invited and to present in front of such a highly regarded group of HIV experts from Russia, China and the United States. I believe our presentation was well-received and we are all looking forward to a successful trial completion. If marketing approval is granted, our therapeutic HIV vaccine could introduce a paradigm shift in treating HIV,” stated Boros.

The DermaVir platform contains a novel plasmid DNA that encodes most HIV genes. The vaccine is administered topically using the DermaPrep medical device.

“Mr. Boros gave an excellent presentation about Genetic Immunity’s therapeutic vaccine platform with a special emphasis on the company’s HIV results to date. I look forward to completing the planned Phase III trial, and – upon a successful result – to treating patients with a very promising new vaccine product,” added Professor Alexey Mazus, Head of the Moscow City Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS.

Arlissa and Bobby Sessions introduce new, previously unreleased songs on the soundtrack, which Variety raves “cleverly mimics the film’s outlook by oscillating between snatches of 2Pac and modern R&B;” South London-bred, 25-year old siren Arlissa, who recently appeared in the August issue Vogue, experienced her first real taste of success with her breakthrough track “Hearts Ain’t Gonna Lie.”Arlissa’s defiant anthem “We Won’t Move” from THE HATE U GIVE soundtrack garnered early buzz at the Toronto Film Festival premiere of T.H.U.G., with Toronto’s NOW exclaiming “the soulful ballad has got ‘Oscar nominee’ written all over it.”

“It’s been a true honor to be involved in something so significant and relevant to today’s social climate,” Arlissa said. “I was one of the millions of people who were deeply touched by the book, so to be able to contribute to the movie, which shines such a strong light on inequality, has been a responsibility I’ve taken with such pride and care. This is not just a film, this is education”

Fiery Dallas rapper Bobby Sessions, who NPR raves “confronts racism with a captivating flow that’s both acrimonious and awe-inspiring,” and whose debut EP “channels the anger and despair that accompany the cycle of systemic racism” according to XXL, performs the eponymous title tune, “The Hate U Give.”

Shaping up as one of the fall season’s breakout movies, The Hate U Give stars Amandla Stenberg as Starr, a teen who is constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black, neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white, prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressures from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what’s right. Amandla’s original song “Always” closes out the soundtrack.

The Hate U Give also stars Russell Hornsby, Regina Hall, Issa Rae, KJ Apa, Algee Smith and Sabrina Carpenter, with Common, and Anthony Mackie. The film was directed by George Tillman Jr. (Notorious, Men Of Honor), and produced by Robert Teitel, George Tillman Jr., Marty Bowen, and Wyck Godfrey. The Hate U Give, whose screenplay was written by Audrey Wells (A Dog’s Purpose, Under The Tuscan Sun), is a Fox 2000 Pictures, State Street Pictures, and Temple Hill Entertainment production, distributed by 20th Century Fox.

Blender Workspace, a premium shared office community, welcomed fashion iconoclast and Joe Boxer founder, Nick Graham, to their New York flagship on February 20th. The two-hour presentation and roundtable discussion signified the launch of Blender’s new Entrepreneur Salon Series: the latest addition to a robust programming initiative available to all Blender members.

Mr. Graham’s presentation focused on themes of audacity and enterprise, informed by his personal experience with innovative brand building. He famously got his start by silk screening dollar bills onto boxer shorts, while his latest collection debuted earlier this month in the shark tank at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Mr. Graham also launched an eponymous men’s fashion line at New York Fashion Week in January.

The event was hosted by Larry Dvoskin, a music entrepreneur who has worked with past Grammy winners including David Bowie, The Beach Boys, Robert Plant, and MGMT. In addition to its salon series, Blender boasts a curated arts program, wellness meet-ups, workshops, and live performances on a daily basis.

Blender is a leading luxury workspace located at 135 Madison Avenue in the NoMad neighborhood of New York City. The space was custom built for high-caliber professionals who value thoughtful design and an elevated work experience, and has evolved into a hub for creative, lifestyle and wellness brands.

Olympics, Two-Thirds of US to VP Pence: Not Appropriate to Stay Seated During Opening Ceremonies

Viewing of Games on Streaming Devices Makes a ‘Breakthrough’ Impact;
Americans Disapprove of ‘Shut Up and Dribble by Wide Margin,’ also say Athletes should be Able to Comment on Social Issues;
Approval of Subsidies to U.S. Olympic Athletes by More than 2 to 1;
Absence of Matt Lauer and Bob Costas gauged; Ban on tackle football until freshman year in high school?

Vice President Mike Pence’s decision to remain seated as the combined North and South Korean teams entered the stadium during Olympic Opening Ceremonies received a harsh rebuke from the American public – by 3-to-1, according to a Seton Hall Sports Poll conducted this week,

A strong 66% said the gesture was not appropriate, with only 18% supporting the decision. People in the 18-44 age bracket disapproved by 72%-14%, while older people, by 60% to 22% – were somewhat more supportive — but still strongly opposed.

“It’s a departure from the reaction to most actions taken by the current administration during this era of polarization,” noted Rick Gentile, director of the poll, which is sponsored by the Sharkey Institute. “Eighteen percent is less than half of the usual approval found from polling on other administration actions.”

The poll was conducted this week with random calls to 775 adults on landlines and cellphones across the country, and has a margin of error of +/- 3.6%.

As for the Olympic Games themselves, 17% named “streaming” as the manner in which they mostly watched the Games, and while 54% named NBC’s primetime coverage, the 17% is significant for the communications industry as a breakthrough number. (12% named “other TV networks” as their most preferred option).

“It’s eye-popping,” said Gentile. “It marks yet another breakthrough in the so-called ‘cord-cutting’ era. That little more than half of the audience primarily watches on NBC primetime would have been considered remarkable just four years ago. And as a sign of things to come, 44% of those 18-29 chose streaming, about the same as chose NBC prime time.”

Meanwhile, as far as general interest in the Winter Olympics, only 9% say their interest in greater, while 18% say it is less than previously. But among those 18-29, coveted by advertisers, interest was greater among 20%, with only single digits in older age groups (7% in the 30-44 category, 6% among 45-59 and 7% among 60+).

“This could be due to the X-Games influence and the increased snow-boarding coverage,” added Gentile.

66% said it didn’t matter whether they were viewing an event live or delayed. And 66% also said that NBC has done a good job of generating interest in the Games.

This is the first Olympics in many years without Matt Lauer’s presence in the morning, and Bob Costas serving as host in prime time. 16% said the evening coverage was “not as good” without Costas, and 11% said morning coverage was “not as good” without Lauer.

Asked whether the US Olympic Committee should subsidize American athletes who cannot earn a living participating in sports like luge, cross-country skiing, and other sports, 59% said they should offer subsidies with only 22% saying no.

Athletes Voicing Opinions on Social Positions Supported; A Rebuff to Fox’s Ingraham.

The Poll asked whether professional athletes should use their fame to comment on social issues. 47% said yes, and 42% said no, with 11% having no opinion. But asked about Fox News’ host Laura Ingraham’s comment that the players (notably LeBron James and Kevin Durant) should “shut up and dribble,” only 25% approved while 46% disapproved. (30% had no opinion). Among those who identified themselves as African-American, only 12% expressed approval of her comment, with 69% disapproving.

Ban on Tackle Football until Freshman Year in High School?

Finally, the Poll asked for opinions on the bill in the California State Legislature to ban organized tackle football until freshman year in high school in response to the danger of brain injury to younger players. The bill received support from 46% (nationally), with 24% disapproval. 30% had no opinion or did not know.

The Official Seton Hall Sports Poll podcast discussing this topic with Seth Everett and Rick Gentile can be found at here.

About the poll:

This poll was conducted by telephone February 19-21 among 775 adults in the United States. The Seton Hall Sports Poll is conducted by the Sharkey Institute.

Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard landline and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. The error for subgroups may be higher. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The Seton Hall Sports Poll has been conducted regularly since 2006.

The results:

1. Which ongoing sports event or season are you most interested in, the Winter Olympics, college basketball, the NBA, the NHL or the opening of baseball’s spring training camps?

1. Winter Olympics 31%

2. College basketball 10

3. NBA 17

4. NHL 6

5. Spring training 12

6. Don’t know/No opinion 24

2. Would you say your interest in the Winter Olympics currently taking place in South Korea is greater than, less than or about the same as interest in previous Olympics?

1. Greater than 9

2. Less than 18

3. About the same 52

4. Not interested at all 15

5. Don’t know 5

(If “Not interested at all” skip to question 7)

3. Where have you watched more Olympic coverage, NBC’s prime time, daily coverage on other TV networks or streaming coverage on handheld devices?

1. NBC Prime Time 54

2. Other TV networks 12

3. Streaming 17

4. Don’t know 17

4. Are you more likely to watch an Olympic event if it’s presented live or does it not matter if the presentation is delayed?

1. Live 30

2. Doesn’t matter 66

3. Don’t know/No opinion 5

5. For many years Matt Lauer hosted NBC’s morning Olympic coverage and Bob Costas hosted the evening presentation. Do you think the morning Olympic coverage on the Today show is as good without Matt Lauer, not as good or about the same?

1. As good 16

2. Not as good 11

3. About the same 32

4. Don’t know/No opinion 42

6. How about the evening coverage without Bob Costas, as good, not as good or about the same?

1. As good 12

2. Not as good 16

3. About the same 40

4. Don’t know/No opinion 32

7. Do you think NBC, the presenting network in the U.S., has done a good job of generating interest in the Games?

1. Yes 66

2. No 17

3. Don’t know/No opinion 17

8. Should the US Olympic Committee subsidize American athletes who cannot earn a living participating in their sports like luge, cross country skiing, etc.?

1. Yes 59

2. No 22

3. Don’t know/No opinion 19

9. Vice President Mike Pence attended the Olympics’ Opening Ceremony in South Korea and was seated in the VIP box with various foreign dignitaries and heads of state. He remained seated when the combined North and South Korean team entered the arena during the parade of nations. Do you think it was appropriate for him to remain seated while all others stood?

1. Yes 18

2. No 66

3. Don’t know/No opinion 16

10. Do you think professional athletes should use their fame as a platform to make comments about social issues?

1. Yes 47

2. No 42

3. Don’t know/No opinion 11

11. Two weeks ago the California State Legislature introduced a bill to ban organized tackle football until freshman year in high school in response to the danger of brain injury to younger players. Do you approve of this bill, disapprove or have no opinion?

1. Approve 46

2. Disapprove 24

3. No opinion 23

4. Don’t know 7

12. Fox News host Laura Ingraham, in response to comments by LeBron James and Kevin Durant criticizing President Trump, said the players should “shut up and dribble”. Do you strongly approve, somewhat approve, somewhat disapprove, strongly disapprove or have no opinion regarding Laura Ingraham’s statement?

1. Strongly approve 16

2. Somewhat approve 9

3. Somewhat disapprove 11

4. Strongly disapprove 35

5. Don’t know/No Opinion 30

13. How closely do you follow sports, very closely, closely, not closely or not at all?

1. Very closely 15

2. Closely 37

3. Not closely 30

4. Not at all 18

ABOUT SETON HALL UNIVERSITY

One of the country’s leading Catholic universities, Seton Hall University has been developing students in mind, heart and spirits since 1856. Home to nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and offering more than 90 rigorous academic programs, Seton Hal’s academic excellence has been singled out for distinction by The Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report and Bloomberg Business.

Seton Hall, which embraces students of all religions, prepares its graduates to be exemplary servant leaders and global citizens. In recent years, the University has achieved extraordinary success. Since 2009, the University has seen record-breaking undergraduate enrollment growth in addition to an impressive 95-point increase in the average SAT scores of incoming freshmen. In the past decade, Seton Hall students and alumni have been awarded nearly 20 Fulbright Scholarships as well as other prestigious academic honors including a Rhodes Scholar. In the past five years, the University has invested more than $134 million in new campus buildings and renovations. And in 2015, Seton Hall launched a new School of Medicine as well as a new College of Communication and the Arts.

A founding member of the new Big East Conference, the Seton Hall Pirates field 14 NCAA Division I varsity sports teams. The University’s beautiful main campus is located in suburban South Orange, New Jersey, and is only 14 miles from New York City – offering its students a wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities. The University’s nationally recognized School of Law is prominently located in downtown Newark. For more information, visit www.shu.edu